How to Make Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Elderberry syrup is a natural daily supplement in our household as soon as cold and flu season starts. We try to use natural remedies for cold and flu season and prefer to make our own when we can. Last year was the first time I made homemade elderberry syrup. I was amazed at how easy and cost effective it was!

Elderberry syrup has become a popular natural remedy for cold and flu season. Last fall I went to our local natural food store to buy some. I was shocked to see how expensive it was. Instead of buying some, I came home and decided I was going to make it. I discovered that by buying these dried elderberries I could make homemade elderberry syrup for half the cost of a bottle at the store.

This past summer we found quite a few elderberry bushes growing wild (here’s our post on how to identify and forage for elderberries). We were out picking huckleberries in the mountains but the elderberries aren’t ready to harvest until the fall. Unfortunately this fall we were in the middle of moving into our new homestead and didn’t have time to go harvest elderberries. Next year we plan to wild harvest elderberries so we’ll be able to make our homemade elderberry syrup for little to no cost!

Health Benefits of Elderberry Syrup

Despite being tiny in size, elderberries pack a big, healthy punch. Elderberries are considered an anti-viral natural remedy which is why elderberry products are consumed so readily during cold and flu season. Elderberries are rich in:

Vitamin C

Vitamin A

Iron

Potassium

Beta-carotene

Calcium

Phosphorus

Bioflavonoids

Antioxidants

Using Homemade Elderberry Syrup

During cold and flu season, I take 1 Tablespoon of elderberry syrup per day and Little A takes 1 teaspoon. We do this daily as a preventative. When I start feeling sick, I take 1 Tablespoon per hour. Little A takes 1 teaspoon per hour if she is feeling sick.

I make a big jar of homemade elderberry syrup at the beginning of cold and flu season in the fall. This typically lasts our family of three all throughout the cold and flu season. I keep the jar of elderberry syrup in the refrigerator and we take it everyday with our evening meal. Little A loves her “el-beay syup” and will ask for it if I happen to forget to get it out one evening.

Step 1: Place all ingredients except for the honey in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Strain the mixture. I place a piece of cheese cloth inside a fine mesh strainer and squeeze as much juice as I can from the cheesecloth. (We use this cheesecloth and this type of strainer)

Step 3: Add the honey to the juice and stir until mixed well.

Step 4: Place syrup in a glass jar and refrigerate to use daily. You may also can or freeze the syrup for later use.

This is the dosage we use for our family when using it as a preventative: 1 TBS per day for an adult and 1 tsp per day for a child. The dosage we use when feeling sick: 1 TBS per hour for an adult, 1 tsp per hour for a child.

*Note: Do not give honey to children under age 1. You can substitute another natural sweetener like maple syrup instead of using honey.

Now that you have an easy, homemade recipe for elderberry syrup you can try making your own. You should also try our recipe for making elderberry jelly which is another way to naturally boost Vitamin C. Using homemade natural remedies during cold and flu season is a great way to keep your body naturally healthy for a low cost!

It wasn’t until last spring when I ventured out with my herbal identification book that I realized that I was seeing elderberry bushes all over the mountains we frequent. I always noticed them before, I just never knew what they were. Now that I know, I see elderberry bushes all over the place!

Thanks for sharing on Backyard Farming Connection. I love the mix of ingredients in your syrup. Elderberry syrups and juices can be used in cooking, too – it is great for its flavor, not just medicinal properties.

For anyone who wants to forage for their own berries but does not yet know how to identify or where to look for the plant, check out my post below. The post also links to my recipe for elderberry ice cream with dark chocolate hazelnut crunch.http://ouroneacrefarm.com/foraging-for-elderberries/

Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe. I am a big believer in natural healing and DIY products. You did a great job of providing the nutritional value too. Visiting from Wildcrafting Wednesday Link Up! Have a wonderful healthy day!

Can you tell me how you went about planting? Did you buy plants or start from seed? Any special fertilizer or planting instructions? We have been picking wild one for the past few years here in Maine but they typically grow in ditches or other difficult to access areas. It would be great to have a few in my back yard for easy picking. Thank you.

We have the same issue here in MT trying to harvest wild elderberries- they most often are found on steep hillsides so harvesting is tricky. I bought several elderberry shrubs at a greenhouse in town this summer to grow our own at home. We also tried to dig out a wild elderberry shrub and transplant it at home but the shrubs we can find are all typically so big we can’t get enough of the root ball to transplant it well. That is why we bought some from the greenhouse.

I’ve only had elderberry wine. I’ve heard great things about the syrups and jams so I’m eager to try them. We have them growing wild around us so I might just have to make that leap this year. Thanks for sharing! Found you thru the From the Farm Blog Hop.

I’ve made this recipe several times but it always goes bad before I can finish it all even though I refrigerate it. Is there any natural preservative you might recommend adding to it to have it keep longer?

I’ve never actually canned elderberry syrup, we freeze it. If you want to try canning it, I would suggest not putting the honey in and adding that after you open up a canned jar of syrup. Heating honey to a high heat kills off a lot of the healthy aspects of honey.

Just made the syrup and the house smells wonderful. I was wondering whether I can make a second less concentrated batch of elderberry syrup from the strained elderberries. I am sure there is still a lot of goodness in them. Don’t feel like tossing them out. Please advise. Thanks for the recipe.

i have a high speed blender – wondering if i were to blend the whole mixture rather than straining off the liquid, could that intensify the healing properties? or would you recommend against doing that for any reason? thanks!

I’ve read that ingesting the whole berry can cause some digestive issues so personally I would not try it. All the elderberry recipes I’ve ever read use the juice from the elderberry but discard the rest.

I just wanted to comment on the edibility of the berries. We’ve recently moved to an extremely remote Indian reservation on the Idaho/Nevada border. They lover their elderberries out here. Natives have been eating them forever (it’s a main ingredient in traditional pemmican). A gal just told me yesterday that her dad’s favorite pie in the world is elderberry. The women still go out and gather them together to make jams to sell at the Christmas Bizarre (coming up tomorrow! I will be buying some!). I mash the berries when I make this syrup and put them all in, or sometimes blend it up. But that’s just me. Perhaps others would have some stomach upset.

Hello! and thank you for this recipe. A friend of mine makes elderflower/berry syrup with honey and it is wonderful stuff for colds, but I was not aware of the benefits for asthma and other ailments! We have quite a few elderberry “bushes/trees” growing on our property and they are ripe NOW! Gonna get some this weekend!Thanks again!

My sister and I just bought a bottle of the syrup that includes orange peel and cardamom in addition to the spices you list–it is delicious! Because of the cost, we would really like to replicate it ourselves. How much cardamom and orange peel would you suggest adding to the recipe? Thanks!

Thank you for your fantastic website. I can’t wait to make the Elderberry Syrup from your great recipe. I actually heard about Elderberry Syrup on the Dr. Oz show. Now I can make my own. Thank you again. I have really enjoyed browsing and learning on your website.

I just made my first batch of elder berry syrup today using your recipe. I was expecting it to be thicker then it turned out. I also had to substitute dry ground for the cinnamon, ginger and clove but it was well worth making. I love minced meat pie and to me that is exactly what it taste like. I will not have a problem taking this on a daily bases or as needed.

I’ve made this recipe several times but it always goes bad before I can finish it all even though I refrigerate it. Is there any natural preservative you might recommend adding to it to have it keep longer?

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Hello I'm Annie and welcome to our blog!

I was raised in an old farmhouse in the country and taught by three generations of women in my family to cook from scratch, can and preserve food, nurture plants to grow, craft with my hands, and live a simple, meaningful life. Now I'm teaching my own children these skills on our little homestead in Montana. I'm sharing these vintage skills here so you too can live a simple, more connected homemade life- one canning jar at a time! Read more...